News Releases

UWI Offers only 5 Year Vet Programme In English-speaking Caribbean

For Release Upon Receipt - April 21, 2023

St. Augustine


 The UWI St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago. Friday, April 21, 2023- If you are interested in veterinary medicine, then the only Veterinary school offering a five-year programme in the English-speaking Caribbean is right in your backyard. Director of the School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) in the Faculty of Medical Sciencesat the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies (UWI)states that SVM’s modern teaching facilities and research laboratories allow students to undergo practical training and research projects with companion animals, farm animals, avian and exotic species, aquatic animal health and equine clinics.

 Dr. Georges notes that SVM attracts regional registrants and several alumni are now leaders in research, receiving awards for their innovative discoveries which have improved food security and the lives of our smallest family members. “The SVM has 26 registered non-nationals, from The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the USA. Graduates can be found within numerous private and public practices specialising in equine, farm, domestic, wildlife or aquatic animal medicine.”

 Trinidad and Tobago’s first and only aquatic veterinarian is alumna Dr. Ayanna Phillips Savage. Dr. Savage was also the recipient of the Anthony N. Sabga Caribbean Excellence Award for Science and Technology in (2021) and one of the 77 Outstanding Women chosen for The UWI 70th anniversary exhibition (2018). She is involved in the work of the Trinidad and Tobago Marine Mammal Stranding Network that boasts over 100 volunteers combatting marine mammal stranding. Just as importantly, research by Professor Naola Ferguson-Noel, who received the Inventor of the year award in 2022 from the University of Georgia, led to new approaches in combatting mycoplasma strains in poultry with resultant patents across multiple foreign nations.

 The Faculty of Medical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, is staging a virtual Open House on Monday April 24 2023 from 6pm via Zoom. Interested persons are invited to register here

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 About The University of the West Indies

 The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development; residing at the centre of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region for the past 75 years.

 From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with near 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona<> in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill<> in Barbados, Five Islands<> in<> Antigua and Barbuda and its<> Open Campus, and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

 The UWI offers over 800 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and wider world.

 The UWI has been consistently ranked among the top universities globally by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). The UWI is the only Caribbean-based university to make the prestigious lists since its debut in the rankings in 2018. In addition to its leading position in the Caribbean in the World University Rankings, it is also in the top 25 for Latin America and the Caribbean and the top 100 global Golden Age universities (between 50 and 80 years old).  The UWI is also featured among the leading universities on THE’s Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Wellbeing; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

 2023 marks The UWI’s 75th anniversary. The Diamond jubilee milestone themed “UWI at 75. Rooted. Ready. Rising.” features initiatives purposely designed and aligned to reflect on the past, confront the present, and articulate plans for the future of the regional University.

 Learn more at www.uwi.edu 

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